PC Retailers

We compare prices from 98 PC retailers every day to bring you the best deals. We compare high street and online prices to make sure you save money on your favourite PC. We search for bargains from the United Kingdom's largest retailers such as Amazon and ebay as well as smaller shops in our mission to show you the best offers available today.

Operating Systems Explained

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft's latest version of their operating system is Windows 10. Windows remains by far the most popular operating system, with over 85% of all desktop PCs and laptops running Windows. Windows 10 blends the familiar structure of the Start menu and desktop layout with some great new innovative features. Windows 10 has been designed for touch, so touch screen desktop PCs work well with this software.

Windows 10 includes Cortana which is your voice controlled personal assistant. Cortana gradually learns your preferences and tailors it's service specifically to your needs. Windows 10 also comes with a brand new web browser, Microsoft Edge, which lets you quickly navigate to the most important information and write directly on web pages before sharing them. Another new feature is the ability to stream games from your Xbox One to your PC allowing you to play your Xbox games even if your Xbox is in a different room.

Huge selection of software including older Windows software

Cortana personal assistant

Microsoft edge browser

Stream games from your Xbox One

Automatic login with face recognition on selected devices

Most users will need Microsoft Office which comes at an additional cost

Historically more prone to viruses

Max OS X

Apple desktop PCs are called iMacs and they run the Mac OS X operating system, the latest version of which is OS X El Capitan. The biggest strength of iMac desktops is that Apple manufacturer both the operating system and the physical hardware, so they can create a truly seamless experience between the two. iMacs also integrate really well with with other Apple devices such as the iPhone and iPad. For example you can send texts and take calls directly on an iMac that has been synced to an iphone.

iMacs are known for their intuitive and beautiful design. They come with a great selection of professional software already included, and are particualrly good for creative work such as photo or video editing. iMacs tend to be less prone to viruses, partly because the operating system is less popular than Windows. Many Mac users feel they have enough virus protection with the free pre-installed antivirus software that is built in to Mac OS X.

Strong integration between hardware and software

Intuitive and easy to use

Seamless integration with iPhone and iPad

Lots of great software included for free

Fewer viruses and lower maintenance

Expensive

Some software does not work on Mac

Tower vs All-in-One

Tower PCs

Tower PCs house all the hardware in a tower case which is separate to the PC monitor. Tower PCs use standardised components and chasis sizes which makes them highly customisable. Individual components can be upgraded for example by adding more memory or an improved graphics card at a later date. This makes tower PCs more futureproof than all-in-one PCs. Tower PC prices may or may not include the monitor, keyboard and mouse, so check prices carefully before you buy.

Highly customisable and easy to upgrade

Very powerful specifications available

Bulky and sometimes ugly

All-in-One PCs

All-in-one PCs house all the PC hardware inside the monitor which makes them great to look out, and they would not look out of place in a stylish living room. Often all-in-one PCs have wireless keyboards and mice which keeps the work surface clutter free. Some of the latest all-in-one PCs feature touchscreens which is great for interacting with the PC without any keyboard or mouse. The downside of all-in-one PCs is that they can be harder to upgrade as space available inside the monitor case is smaller and they can use non-standard component sizes.

Nice looking

Touchscreen available

Upgrading may be difficult

RAM (Internal Memory)

PCs use RAM to temporarily store programs and apps when they are opened. RAM can be accessed very quickly by the PC's processor which allows the program to run quickly. However if the PC runs out of RAM then it will start to use the computer's hard disk as RAM which is much slower and will cause the program to slow down.

The amount of RAM that the PC has is measured in Gigabytes (GB) as is generally at least 4GB which is fine for everyday computing like web browsing, checking emails and watching videos. Upgrade to 8GB if you expect to be doing more intensive computing such as editing high resolution photos. Power users and gamers may want 16GB or more of RAM for best performance.

Processors Explained

The PC's processor is the heart of the computer. It performs all the computations necessary to run programs and apps. Your choice of processor will have the biggest impact on the overall performance of the PC that you buy.

There are a number of different manufacturers of PC processors, the two biggest of which are Intel and AMD. Both companies manufacturer many different processor types with various different brand names, running speeds (MHz) and numbers of cores. The chart below gives a general indication of the relative performance of different processor types. The exact performance will also depend on the number of cores that the processor has and the running speed.

Budget

Budget PCs may come with low end processors such as the AMD A6 or Intel Core i3. These processors are fine for everyday basic computing such as checking email, browsing the internet, watching videos or checking your photos.

Mid-range

Mid-range PCs have Intel Core i5 or AMD A8 / A10 processors. These PCs will handle all but the most demanding tasks very smoothly. These processors are a good choice for those looking for a good compromise between power and price.

Top End

At the top end Intel Core i7 processors offer great performance which is ideal for fast 3D gaming and for intensive media work such as video editing.

Next Gen

Intel have announced a new range of ultra high end Xeon processors. These very fast processors will be targeted at professional users doing complex 3d modelling work and data mining.

Graphics Processor

The graphics processor generates all of the imagery that you see on the PC monitor. As programs, apps and games have become more sophisticated, the power of PC graphics cards has increased. They are now an important consideration if you are looking for a gaming PC or are planning to do high end graphics work such as 3D modeling.

There are two principle types of graphics processor: an integrated graphics card, or a dedicated graphics card (sometimes called discrete). The difference is to do with whether they have their own dedicated memory or if they share the main PC memory (RAM).

Integrated graphics cards share the computer's main memory (RAM). These cards are fine for basic computing, but graphics may appear a bit slow when playing games. Other activities on the PC may slow down if the graphics card uses lots of the main memory.

Dedicated graphics cards have their own memory and so they do not need to use the PC's main memory. This allows the graphics card to generate detailed 3D graphics at a fast frame rate without affecting the rest of the PC. A dedicated graphics card is essential for good performance on 3D games.

Hard Drive / Solid State Drive / Hybrid Drive

Hard drives and solid state drives are the permanent storage used to save all your programs, apps and files. Traditionally PCs were fitted with hard drives, but some of the latest top end PCs have solid state drives.

Hard drives use magnetic disks to store your data. The discs spin at very high speed and are read by a very fast moving arm. The main advantage of hard disks is that they are relatively cheap and they can store huge amounts of data. However, a hard drive does contain moving parts and it is possible for these parts to fail or for the surface of the disk to become damaged resulting in data loss.

Cheaper
Huge capacity
Slower
Risk of drive failure or corruption

Solid state drives (sometimes referred to as flash storage) store your data on computer chips. The great advantage of this is that they are ultra quick to save and retrieve your data, and are very reliable because they have no moving parts. Solid state drives are expensive and are generally only available in smaller capacities than hard drives.

Some PCs have Solid State Hybrid drives. These drives combine the advantage of the cheap and huge capacity offered by hard drives with the fast access of solid state drives. They work by storing the frequently accessed data on the solid state drive as well as on the hard drive.